How to redact a PDF
- Open a PDF — the Redact tool turns on automatically.
- Click “Find passport, SNILS, phone…” or draw boxes with the mouse. Review the boxes; select and delete any extra one.
- Click “Save”: pages with boxes become images, the data under them is removed and the file passes a self-check.
What happens to the file
A page with a box is saved as a 200 dpi image with the box burned in. That page has no text left in the file, so whatever was under the box cannot be found or copied. Other pages are unchanged. Document properties (author, title) and bookmarks of the original are not carried over.
After saving, the editor opens the result and checks that no text remains under the boxes. If the check fails, the file is not downloaded.
Limitations
- Text on redacted pages is no longer searchable; run OCR again if you need search.
- Auto-search works on text: recognize a scan first or draw boxes by hand.
- Auto-search finds common formats of Russian passport, SNILS, INN, phone, e-mail and card numbers but may miss unusual ones — review the document yourself.
- If the PDF was digitally signed, the signature will no longer verify after redaction — sign it again.
Why Construct PDF Online
- Your PDF stays on your computerDocuments are opened and processed in your browser. Nothing is uploaded — safe for contracts and IDs. The only exception is Word, Excel and PowerPoint to PDF: only with your consent, and the file is deleted right away.
- No sign-up, no watermarksOpen a file and start working. No file limits and no “made with …” marks on your pages.
- Cyrillic and LatinText and stamps support Cyrillic and Latin; forms are filled in; compression fits upload portals.
- Desktop app for Windows and LinuxConstruct PDF works offline: edit scanned text, CryptoPro e-signature, OCR. A Linux beta is already out.
More tools
Questions and answers
Can redacted data be recovered?
No — it is no longer in the saved file. Redact a copy and keep the original.
Is the file uploaded?
No. The PDF is processed in your browser, on your computer.
Why did the page become an image?
That guarantees the data under the box is gone from the file. Run OCR if you need search on that page.
How is this different from a box in a PDF viewer?
A viewer draws a box over the text and the text stays in the file. Here the page text is removed.
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